Keynote: Arise, and build

Aug 1, 2017


Colin Dye
Senior Leader
facebook.com/colindye.org 
colindye.com

The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build.”
Nehemiah 2:20

The clarion call of Nehemiah, the repairer of the walls of Jerusalem, was “Arise and build.” It was a call coming from deep within his own soul, as he was deeply impacted by the news that Jerusalem was a broken city. Not even the returning exiles had made a difference. The walls of the city remained in ruins and its gates remained derelict, destroyed by fire.

This scene of devastation is similar to many situations we face today. At a personal level, you may find much in need of repair – relationships, attitudes, and devotional life, for example. On a wider scale, we may also think about our own community and our nation. Certainly, the current confusion in the nation and the clamouring for make-shift solutions are signs of a broken society.

The Grenfell disaster of recent days has left our community feeling numb with pain, brokenness and devastation. But the Lord Jesus is the healer of broken hearts and the restorer of broken lives. Nehemiah’s life, in many ways, points to the restoration ministry of Christ to his people. There can be no devastation, personal or communal that is beyond the scope of his restorative power.

We only need to grasp the means he uses to work his miracle of restoration. First, there has to be an open recognition that things are a mess. The exiles, who had returned to Jerusalem after the 70-year long captivity in Babylon, seemed content to live in a broken city. Many lived in nothing more than a pile of rubble. It took the word of the Lord coming through Nehemiah for them to wake up to the situation and realise there was something they could do about it.

 

This was followed by a remarkable response by the community at large. They made tremendous progress because, “the people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6). This spirit of participation, of everyone co-operating, is always God’s way in times of restoration. It is how lives are put back together, how marriages and families are restored and how communities are rebuilt.

God is calling us to be part of his restoration programme. He is calling us to stand together and for each one of us to do our part. We can be the very people God uses to bring our community back to life.

MORE ARTICLES

Pray until you see breakthrough

Pray until you see breakthrough

Revival TimesArticles, Events, Bible Readings, Testimonies, Highlights and more! 1 Timothy 2:1 is a remarkable summary and a pattern of the complete prayer process from taking your needs to God to giving thanks for breakthrough. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 says, “First of all,...

How Fortunate are the Peacemakers

How Fortunate are the Peacemakers

[4 min read] It is a basic feature of flawed humanity to want to control, to dominate, to be powerful. But this is not Jesus’ way. He did not commend the warriors or the rulers, the powerful or the leaders, instead he said: ‘How fortunate are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God’.

Rejuvenated in God

Rejuvenated in God

Have you noticed in life things get old and wear out? Your jeans, your shoes, your car. We sometimes push them to their very limit, squeezing that very last mile out of them; one might even say we run them into the ground.

Thought for the day

Thought for the day

[1 minute read] Join Colin Dye every week day on IG Stories for a one minute thought for the day.

Meekness

Meekness

[2 minute read] Every day, battles rage as nations or people groups try to establish supremacy over parts of the earth. Most people believe that ‘might’ will triumph over ‘right’ in the end, but Jesus suggests something different:

Starting up a Christian Group at work

Starting up a Christian Group at work

Over the last year, our church family has learnt a huge amount about doing things online, and our work by the ‘Giants’ groups in equipping our church did not slow down. Now, as more and more of us return to places of work, we are reminded of our harvest field with the number of close relationships we tend to develop in the workplace.

Living Free! The life-transformation course

Living Free! The life-transformation course

[3 minute read] “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Discover the first steps of your discipleship in the Christian faith as you embark on this life-transformational course.

Overwhelming freedom in baptism

Overwhelming freedom in baptism

One night, I was listening to a worship song about being free and surrendering all to God. Whilst listening to the words I began to pray and asked God to feel his presence.

Share This